Planning Of A Pond

[shibby]

thinking of plannign a pond if i can convince my dad to give up part of his precious garden though he seems more golf orientated so i cud do it.

my plan is summer house at end of garden in front theres to raised plant beds and a raised deck, i was thinking of using the raised planting as the pond areas which are either side of the decking, its in a slightly shaded area of the garden ... bad place for a summer house i no ! the raised beds are is about 4foot by foot each raised bed.

i also have a rustic cannon i would like to convert into a waterfeature of some description

questions.

1. does the pond have to be in sunlight or not?

2. whats a good depth?

3. any other pond info u cud give me im a newb ! like filters n stuff.

4: is there a cheap way of doign things, i dont mind doing all the digging, lining filling etc but cud i have like a basic cost outline for me


i hope u understand this, i got kinda lost in describning it, il get pictures wen its lgiht, any help wud be great

 

[merry78]

Hi, i can't be much help, but i do know that in cold countries you need about 1 metre/3 foot depth so the fish can survive over winter.
I would be careful with your rustic cannon as it might add toxic elements into your water.

oh, also, some trees/overhanging plants can drop leaves into your pond that can be toxic too.

 

[KhaosInc]

I live in the Pacific NW of the USA, but my memory of my time over there makes me think our weather is similar. One thing I would think about is that you really can't go to big or deep. Gives more water volume, a place to escape from predetors (birds, raccoons, cats, or what ever your area has to offer), and a little 'realness' in MHO. Your fish WILL visit you at feeding time.. just like in your tank.

If you want/need a shallow area for planting, add that in to the design, but give your fish a place to hide. You mentioned 4x4.. I would try to swipe a little more area if you can. though 4x4x4 would be nice, and you could add a slate shelf for shallower plants and still keep the volume.

As for the cannon, it 'Could' be used, but if I was going to do it, I would put a pump in the bottom of the pond in a container of some sort of media (I have found Lava rock is cheap and works well) Make sure the pump is off the bottom of the container and moniter it so you know when to keep it unclogged) Figure out the ID of the cannon, and get some PVC pipe that matches that size, a little longer that the inside of the cannon. cap it off at one end, and run some hose from your pump to the cannon inside the PVC. This will make it look like the cannon is shooting water (How much is up to your pond size and pump) but minimize water contact with the metallic aspect of it.

I'm afraid I don't have a clue for prices in the UK, but I would price out a good sized pump and a liner for a pond as aposed to the pre cast ones...